IPMS/USA Reviews

The aim of this innovative new series is to provide modelmakers and tank enthusiasts with a new standard of primarily visual reference of both full-size tanks and their scale models. Each book will contain detailed technical information imparted through drawings and photographs while the meticulously researched full-color profiles will provide a complete reference for paint schemes and markings, in addition every volume of TankCraft series will feature summaries of design histories and operational careers, and reviews of available kits. Each book is devoted to an iconic tank type - chosen for its popularity as a modelling subject - and the series will provide coverage across a range of different criteria, showcasing the best of the world's tank types and providing invaluable insight and guidance for modelmakers.

Brungen is a new company to me, but what I have seen they are producing a wide range of unique resin and photoetch accessories in 1/32, 1/48, 1/72 as well as 1/144. These nacelles were previously produced by Attack Squadron (Arma Hobby) and that product line was sold to Brungen, which is a big relief to C-130 fans.

I really like the LEGENDS OF WARFARE series of books. These 9" by 9" hardback books cover aircraft, armored vehicles and ships in 112 pages filled mainly with good sized pictures.

This one is on the F4U Corsair from prototype through WWII, Korea and afterwards.

There is a quick introduction followed by chapters on each of the production versions, in this case, the prototype XF4U-1, the F4U-1 "Birdcage", the -2 nightfighter, -1A with the raised canopy, the 20mm armed -1C, the -1D which was the most common version used during WWII, -4, -5, AU-1 ground attack version, -7 used by the French Navy, and the F2G.

When Eduard released its 1/72 MiG-21MF kit last summer it also released several resin and photo-etch sets to go with it. One of the sets is a package of resin wheels. The set provides two sets of main wheels (one with solid wheel covers, the other with spoked wheel covers) and two nose wheels. The instructions note that the solid wheel covers were seldom used on the MF version of the MiG-21, so check your references to see which type the aircraft you are modeling has. I used the spoked set and I have put the other set aside on the assumption that the MiG-21MF is just the first of a MiG-21 series by Eduard, therefore it will come in handy later on.

This set is designed to fit Eduard's new MiG-21 kit. The package includes two complete sets of gear, so you can outfit two kits. Each set includes left and right main gear legs (with helpful tabs marked "L" and "R" at the top), a scissor link for each of the main gear struts, two main gear retraction struts, and two-piece nose gear.

The parts are drop-in replacements for Eduard's kit parts, although I had to do a little filing and sanding to get the kit wheels to slide onto the main gear axles, which are keyed just like the kit parts to ensure that the wheels are correctly orientated. I also had to do some work on the scissor links to get them to fit correctly as the gap in the center of each connection point was a little narrower than the mounting points. The castings are nicely done and require just a little clean up on the casting seams. I cleaned the seams up using a Xacto knife and sandpaper. I then used a brass wire wheel in my battery operated Dremel tool at slow speed to polish up the struts and finish smoothing out the casting seams.

This is another resin set that Eduard released to upgrade its new MiG-21MF kit. The set provides the five base pylons for the MiG-21, two for each wing and one for the centerline station. The pylons are drop-in replacements for the kit parts and require the same holes to be drilled out as the kit pylons do, so no additional work is required to use them.

In reviewing the kit's instruction sheet, it states that for the outer pylons, there is a difference between the ones used when weapons are mounted and the one used when fuel tanks are mounted on the outer wing stations. The set does not say whether the set's outer pylons (parts R4 and R5) are weapons or fuel tank pylons, so I checked the instructions for Eduard's R-3S missiles and pylons set (#672 18). This set also lists parts R4 and R5 as being used for the outside pylons to which the missile rails are attached, therefore I assume that the ones included in set 672 184 are also weapons pylons, not fuel tank pylons.

Tamiya has produced a new tooled M551 Sheridan which is a welcome offering of this small but interesting US armor subject.

The kit was supplied for review with the two aftermarket items Tamiya released for detail this kit. Detail up parts series 12687 PE with metal Barrel as well as the 12685 U.S MCI Cartons (Vietnam War).

In the box is:

5 x light green sprues

1 clear sprue

1 small decal sheet

1 plastic mesh

Several polycaps

Metal wire

A small length of hose

1 instruction booklet

1 color guide booklet (in color)

1 history booklet

Detail up parts are available separately:

12687 - Photoetch / Metal Barrel - $18.50 MSRP

12687 - MCI ration cartons - $4.40 MSRP

The kit consists of 5 main sprues, the sprues are extremely well molded with great detail; the decals allow you to finish the tank in two different versions with 2 markings to choose from.

I have been buying Squadron/Signal In Action books since they first hit the market back in 1971. They have always been an affordable way to get info regarding the subject that is helpful for the model builder and historian.

This is the third issue devoted to the F-15 Eagle. I did get the first version which was number 24 but it is buried in the library someplace so this review will not be a comparison. Aren't you all lucky.

David Doyle had done almost 100 books for Squadron continues the success of the series with a very informative and covers the full history of the Eagle from development through the Strike Eagle. The book follows the tried and true style of the In Action series with a small bit of written info followed by tons of pictures with great descriptions. Interspersed among the pages are some line drawings showing either side views of the versions or details such as the ejection seat.

If you know me, you know that one of my all-time favorite aircraft is the P-38 Lightning. Flown by America's top two scoring aces and used in the famous mission to get Yamamoto (also a good book) the Fork-tailed Devil has always been high on my list and I have built numerous kits over the years.

This LEGENDS OF WARFARE book continues the formula of a 9" by 9" hardback book with 112 pages with photos big enough to show details.

The Legends format is used with an introductory chapter followed by a chapter on each version. These cover the XP-38, YP-38, P-38, P-322 an export version, D, E, the F-4 photo reconnaissance version, F, G, F-5A and H. The later models will be covered in Volume 2.

From Meng's Website - High altitude, large temperature difference, dry weather, broken stones and snow, Afghanistan has the harshest natural environment for ground weapons and soldiers. In response, the shrewd British has chosen a special light-weight vehicle for their famous and professional army. The vehicle was derived from the heavy pickup trucks of the U.S. company Navistar. It can be transported by the C-130. It has better cross-country capability than normal wheeled vehicles and can be easily modified. The British Army named this vehicle after the working dog Husky in the Polar regions.

The LEGENDS OF WARFARE series of books are very nice. They are 9" by 9" hardback books that cover aircraft, armored vehicles and ships in 112 pages filled mainly with good sized photos.

While the B-52 was named the Stratofortress pretty much everyone calls it the BUFF or Big Ugly Fat Fellow (cough). Ok, maybe that last F stands for something else but this is going on a family friendly website.

This book follows the normal Legends format with an introductory chapter followed by a chapter on each version. They are the XB-52. YB-52, B-52A, B, C, D, E, F, G and H. A couple of the A models and a B model were modified and used by NASA to drop different projects with the most famous probably being the X-15. While developed for the Cold War the B-52 thankfully never dropped an atomic bomb in anger. Instead it was used to drop iron bombs during the Vietnam War and in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The Stryker has been in service with the US military nigh on fifteen years and up until now, it was at best simply able to provide defense against enemy infantry with its .50 caliber machine gun. In its newest iteration, the M1296 Stryker Dragoon IFV, it has been upgunned to a 30mm version of the 25mm Bushmaster gun used in the Bradley vehicles. While no match for heavy armor, it is capable of keeping enemy APCs occupied so the main battle tanks can duel unhindered.

Panda Hobby's recent release of this newly revised version of the Stryker proves to be a decent mix of beautiful fit with some over-engineered assemblies to make one feel challenged during the build. Match that with an occasional error in the instructions and you'll feel the need for care and patience, but you will be rewarded with a very nice build in the end with your perseverance.

The German Panzer V Panther, next to the Tiger, is probably one of the most popular and recognizable tanks of World War II. Academy has released the G version of this iconic tank in an all new tooled kit. This version is from very late in the war, about January to April 1945 timeframe. Inside the large box is five bags of sprues, two instruction sheets and a small bag of decals and photo etched sheet. The F sprue is attached to the C sprue. There are four sprues of link and length tracks and four of the D sprues which is mainly road wheels. I like that the sprue letters are molded as cut outs, not the raised letters as usually. This makes it much easier to find and read these letters. Eight clear poly caps are included, but only two used. The decals sheet is three turret number options and four German crosses. The photo etched is engine screens and bolt heads. The instruction sheets are quad folding, with 16 assembly steps and eight painting/decal options.

This subject needs no introduction or prolonged history so I'll skip it. The kit has been around for a few years in various versions, this time as the short nosed F-4J of the U.S. Navy's VF 102 aka the "Diamondbacks". Having read a lot of great things about this kit I had high expectations and they were all realized when I opened the box. There's a whole lot of plastic in there and it's done to the highest standards. Most important is the one piece upper fuselage that eliminates the tricky gap you'd have otherwise. In fact a closer examination shows that most of the major joint lines fall in places that exist on the real thing making the builders job one of aligning the parts and gluing them. You get a full complement of missiles, iron bombs and drop tanks. The only negative out of the box are some faint mold seams on the canopy parts. Add to that a massive decal sheet with every (and I mean every!) stencil carried on this Navy bird, and you have a complete package.

This publication, with illustrations by Maciej Noszczak, is an MMPBooks publication and is distributed in North America by Casemate Publications. MMP books are characterized as being of very high quality and this product is no different. This publication consists of scaled line drawings of the Ju-88A. There is no text other than captions for the drawings.

Here is another great addition to Pen & Sword's Images of War series. In the past, the series had focused on specific battles and campaigns. The shift to specific vehicles is a welcome shift and this book does not let down one's expectations.

The book starts out by pointing out the evolution from the M113, the original evolution from the M113, the original armored personnel carrier to the Bradley, named after the famous and well-loved general from WWII, Omar Bradley. The manufacturer of the M113, FMC, developed two vehicles- the XM765 and the XM763 which would eventually morph into the M2/M3 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle. The new vehicle began its service in 1981 and variants continue to serve to this day. A total of 2,300 M2s and M3s were eventually produced. Text is in English and there are over 300 color photos in the book, many of which are previously unpublished, as well as tables with, as well as tables with general data and engine data.

This publication is an MMP Books publication distributed in North America by Casemate Publications. MMP Books are characterized as being of very high quality and this product is no different. This publication consists of scaled line drawings of the He-111H. There is no text other than captions for the drawings.

This publication is an MMP Books publication distributed in North America by Casemate Publications. MMP Books are characterized as being very high quality and this product is no different. This publication consists of scaled line drawings of the Mosquito Mk. VI. There is no text other than captions for the drawings.

This is the 5thbook in the Tank Craft series which details tanks and also covers model kits and accessories to build the tanks covered in the book. This book covers the British tanks - Cromwell and Centaur which were Cruiser type tanks. The Cromwell being one of the most successful Cruiser tanks used by the Allies during World War II.

I found this book to be a fountain of information and rare pictures of both tanks. The profile pictures are a particular favorite and awesome source for modelling.

The chapters on the different model builds and kits are of great interest and will provide a good resource when modelling these two tanks.

I was impressed at the amount of information and history found in the pages of this extremely enjoyable book. The pictures alone are worth the cost of the book. I will find this book indispensible in my library of armor books.